Volunteers needed to help tackle speeding in road between Rushden and Higham Ferrers

Stephanie Weaver

Volunteers are needed by a group campaigning to stop the issue of speeding outside their homes.

People living in Higham Road, Rushden, recently set up the Slowdown Rushden & Higham action group to tackle problems with speeding, including noise around the clock and damage to cars caused by speeding vehicles.

They have had their first meeting for anyone concerned about speeding in the area and also met with police to discuss the options available to tackle the problem.

While the group would love to have a speed camera installed in Higham Road, they realise the county force no longer has fixed cameras so are looking at other measures which could make a difference.

A spokesman for the group said: “It’s a really dangerous road.

“The speeding has continued since the data we got in July showing the extent of the problem.”

The data from police for one week in July saw 85,000 vehicles checked, of which 67 per cent of those were over the 30mph limit in Higham Road.

The traffic survey also revealed that a motorbike was recorded doing 93mph, the fastest car was found doing 77mph and the fastest LGV was 63mph.

Since the group’s launch, people have been coming forward to show their support for a crackdown on speeding in the area.

The spokesman added: “Lots of people in the street signed up and people in other parts of Rushden and Higham Ferrers want to get involved now.

“There’s a guy who wants to run a community speed watch in Washbrook Road and someone who wants to do it in Hayway.

“People in Higham Road are fed up with the situation, but it seems that people all over Rushden and Higham Ferrers have speeding problems.”

The response from residents has shown that noise from modified vehicles and the revving of engines is also a concern.

A service level agreement is being drawn up with the police looking at ways of working with residents to tackle the speeding-related issues.

But while that is being finalised, the group is trying to recruit volunteers for a community speed watch scheme or to work as parish constables in the area.

Community speed watch is a volunteer programme, run between the police, Northamptonshire County Council and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).

Its aim is to increase awareness of the dangers of speeding through education.

Drivers detected for speeding receive a police warning letter and their records are held to identify any repeat offenders.

The county programme currently has more than 400 volunteers trained with others regularly joining the scheme.

For more information about community speed watch, go to https://www.northants.police.uk/#!/SaferRoads/9776.

For more details about the action group, go to http://www.slowdown-rushden.org/